Teaching Growth Mindset

This year I noticed that many of my students were using a lot of negative self talk and that they were giving up on a task before they even started. Something needed to be done about this so I did some research on Growth Mind Set and decided that this is exactly what my students needed.

We begin by watching the story The Dot and talk about how the Vashti changes over the story. This story makes it VERY clear that she goes from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This story leads to introducing the terms “growth” and “fixed” mindset. 

We then created our first classroom bulletin board together. I showed them the fixed mind set message and together they decided on what the growth mind set message went with it. You can get the posters for this bulletin board from The Blessed Teacher.

We went over a lot of different scenerios and partner talks and then we completed Jennifer Runde’s (All her stuff is AMAZING!) Growth MindSet Stick-It Together activity.

Here are some examples of what my students came up with.

Throughout our study I use many video and these are 2 of the ones my students get the most information from.

 

One Two of the BIG takeaways from our lessons were that they are still learning and that mistakes are part of learning. Also the power of the word “YET”. I still here them using the word now and it makes me smile. I have a giant Yet sign on the wall by our classroom door and students see it when they come in/leave the room, as well as when they are doing their work because it is at the front of the room. 

We listen to The Power of Yet song during our lessons and it is so catchy that the kids can’t stop singing it. 

Growth mindset is not something that should be touched on for a couple of lessons and then left. We refer back to it often and I even hear students reminding their peers when things get tough. I was shocked when they noticed that the main character in Abel’s Island
(class read aloud) was showing a growth mindset because he never gave up. I was a proud teacher when they brought this up 🙂 

I am sure I will write more posts or update this one throughout the remainder of the year because growth mind set has become the norm in my classroom now. 

Cheers,